Consequences
by BonniePrincess
Summary: Leo tries to comfort his son while dealing with some painful realizations of his own. "Maybe some things were forbidden for a reason."


**Consequences**

Leo tries to comfort his son while dealing with some painful realizations of his own. "Maybe some things were forbidden for a reason."

A/N a few things to note here-

This is supposed to take place in the changed future, but I decided not to include a third sibling for Chris and Wyatt. Paige and Phoebe's kids are not mentioned either- but their existence or lack thereof does not really matter to the sorry. When this takes place, Chris is eighteen and has just graduated from high school. Leo, after spending four years as a mortal, is once again the family whitelighter.

Enjoy!

"Chris, please- we need to talk about this."

Leo stood patiently outside of his son's bedroom door, hoping that the teen would soon give into his pleas. It was tempting to simply orb into the room, but he knew that this would only fuel Chris' anger- so instead, he waited- determined to do this the mortal way.

Chris had locked himself away for almost two hours now and, although Leo knew that he needed a bit of space, he was equally certain that he could help Chris work though this predicament. Unfortunately, his boy was just as stubborn as he was and, after several attempts to reach out, it seemed that he had made little progress.

Leo, however, was not ready to give up – even if it meant camping out in front of Chris' door for the next month. Chris needed help, and his father was the only one that could get him get through this.

He needed to be there. Whether Chris realized it or not.

Truth be told, Leo had been bracing himself for this for a while now. Although his youngest son had always craved a "normal life," his powers had developed significantly during the past few years. And with each new gift, it became more and more apparent that the elders had a particular plan for the boy. Orbing, sensing, glamouring, hovering, invisibility, healing...by the end of the eleventh grade, Chris had received the full range of whitelighter powers- putting him well ahead of his brother and aunt in that department. It was a touchy subject for Chris, and although they never talked about it, Leo had known what was coming. He suspected that his son had known too.

Chris' destiny was just as predetermined as his brother's- unfortunately, it was not a path he would have chosen for himself.

With a sigh, Leo knocked again.

"Chris, you can't hide in there forever." He paused. "Please talk to me."

It had always been hard to get his youngest son to open up- especially when it came to magical matters. Like his mother, he wanted to live life like a regular mortal- even though he was anything but. As a child, he had had a strong interest in witchcraft, but once it became apparent that his wiccan side was not dominant, he had redoubled his efforts to live a "normal life." He only used his powers when absolutely necessary and he instantly shut down whenever magical training was suggested.

"_I don't need training," _he would argue, "_Wyatt can take care of everything." _

Although he hoped that his son would one day come to terms with his magic, Leo could see his point- Wyatt was even more formidable then the Charmed Ones, and had happily taken up his wiccan duty to protect innocents. Chris, on the other hand, only had one defensive power and was not a natural fighter like his brother. Sure, he could hold his own during a vanquish, and was certainly more powerful than most witches- but it was clear that his strengths lay elsewhere.

Like it or not, Chris was his father's son and it seemed that this was a fact that they could no longer ignore.

A quiet sound from the other side of the door broke Leo away from his thoughts- he was sure that he had heard movement from inside the room, and he held his breath as he waited to see if we would finally be allowed through the threshold.

He heard footsteps. One, two, three...and then, at long last, the click of the lock that he had been waiting for.

His persistence, it seemed, had paid off.

Suddenly feeling jittery, Leo placed his hand on the door knob and slowly pushed open the door. For a moment, he thought that Chris had orbed out- but, after a second glace around the room, he saw that his son had not yet fled. Chris was sitting on the floor at the foot of his bed, his knees drawn up to his chest and his eyes lined with red. It was clear that the boy was not coping well, and it took all of Leo's self control not to run over and wrap his son in a hug.

He knew, however, that he had to be cautious. Leo did not want to ruin the progress he had made by pushing the eighteen year old too far too quickly- he had to take it slow.

Drawing a deep breath, the father took a seat on Chris' desk chair, his heart beating rapidly as he mulled over what to do next. Before he had a chance to speak, however, his son broke the silence.

"Is...is there a way to make it stop?" he asked, looking up at his father with wide eyes. For a moment, Leo felt as if his son was a child again- he looked so scared. So unsure.

Leo wished that he could provide a more comforting answer but, this time, he knew that there was no easy was to make the pain go away.

"I'm so sorry, Chris." He answered, his heart breaking as he locked eyes with his son. "The elders have decided to call you, and the only way to make the noise stop is to do what they want."

Chris scoffed and turned away. For a second, Leo could not help but be reminded of the neurotic whitelighter from the future that had entered their lives so many years ago. This version of Chris was more and more like his former self every day- and Leo was terrified that this turn of events would damage the father-son relationship he had worked so hard to build this time around. After all, it was his fault that Chris was going through this right now, and he could already see the hint of resentment in the boy's eyes...

"I figured you'd say that." Chris said blandly, looking back down at the floor. "But screw the elders. I am not going to turn me into some angelic lackey- even if it means having to put up with this damn noise for the rest of my life."

Leo opened his mouth to respond but, before he could, Chris let out a sharp cry. Clutching his ears, the young man bit back a second shout as he writhed in pain.

As he watched helplessly, Leo could not help but resent the elders as well- he understood that they were trying to get the boy to embrace his path, but this seemed needlessly excessive. Like any parent, he hated seeing his boy in pain and he wished that he could make it stop.

Unfortunately, he knew that there was only one way to do that...and Chris wasn't going to like it.

A few seconds later, Chris let out a deep breath and slowly took his hands away from his ears. Apparently, the noise had stopped and he had been given a few more minutes of freedom before the next wave hit.

"Sadistic bastards." Chris muttered, making no attempt to mask the deep anger in his tone. Turning his gaze up towards the ceiling, he addressed his assailants. "You can give up now because I am not going to become a whitelighter! So get that through your thick skulls, okay?" He shouted, his jaw clenched with determination.

As he watched, Leo felt an uncomfortable knot growing in his stomach. Even after all these years as a parent, he still felt unprepared to deal with some of the challenges, and this particular circumstance was more difficult than most. A part of him wanted to tell Chris what he wanted to hear- to tell him that there was a way out, and that they would be able to put all of this behind them. But the more logical part of him knew that that wasn't possible.

Sometimes, being a parent meant dealing a bit of harsh reality...

"That isn't going to work, Chris." He said softly, silently praying that his son wouldn't banish him from the room. "Like it or not, you have always been a whitelighter- and no amount of shouting can make that go away."

He could see the surge of anger on his son's face, and he knew that this was going to get a lot worse before it got better.

"I'm_ not_ one of them." He snapped, his green eyes blazing. "Thanks to you, I got stuck with a bunch of stupid pacifist powers that I don't want- but that doesn't make me a whitelighter. Being a whitelighter is a choice- people die, and they choose to become one. _You_ chose to become one. I never made that choice! I never said yes!"

Leo drew a deep breath. It was clear that his son had put a lot of thought into this, and he could not quell the tide of hurt and regret inside of him. It pained him to know that his son wanted to reject what he had given him- and knowing that this situation was his fault filled him with a sense of guilt. He had given Chris his whitelighter side- his _elder_ side- and because of that, Chris could never have the normal life he craved. If he had had a human father, Chris would have just been a telekentic witch- which, undoubtedly, would have caused enough problems...but at least then, he would have had more freedom to live as he wished.

"That's true, Chris." Leo began cautiously. "Usually, it is a choice- but, unfortunately, your case is different."

Chris looked as if he was prepared to retort, but Leo quickly continued before he could.

"You were born a whitelighter- and yeah, it isn't fair that you had no say in that. But the fact is, you are here now, and you are what you are." He paused, running a hand through his dark blonde hair. "Biologically, you're already one of us, and that means that the elders can summon you without your consent. I...I understand if you resent me for that. And I'm sorry that things aren't different. But that still won't change anything. If the elders are calling you, then you can't ignore that part of you any longer."

He could see that Chris' expression had softened ever so slightly as he spoke and there was a long pause before the boy strung together a response.

"Dad, I don't..." He hesitated, directing his gaze out the window. "It's just- why me?" His voice was softer now, and Leo could tell that the boy was trying his best to keep his emotions in check. "I mean, Wyatt is older than me, and he's part-whitelighter too- but the elders have left him alone. Aunt Paige has charges, but she likes doing whitelighter duty- she wanted this...I don't."

Leo gave his son a small smile, happy that he had not yet put an end to the conversation. If he was willing to talk, then there was still hope- and he now had the perfect opening.

"First of all," Leo began, "your Aunt Paige was almost as upset as you were when the elders first called her. She ignored the call for almost three days, and was pretty upset when she realized that there was no way out."

The surprise was evident on his son's face. Although Leo remembered Paige's first months as a whitelighter, Chris had been too young to recall her period of hesitation. By the time Chris was older, Paige had embraced her calling- much more than anyone could have expected. In Chris' mind, Paige had always been enthusiastic about her charges and he had assumed that this had always been the case.

Leo made a mental note to have Paige talk to his son. If he couldn't get through to him, then maybe she could.

"And Wyatt..." He continued, pleased that Chris was still willing to listen, "well, I suppose that his destiny is simply different."

Chris snorted. "Yeah, being Mr. Twice Blessed King Arthur reincarnate Super-witch and all."

There was no hiding the bitterness in his voice.

Despite Piper and Leo's best efforts, they had failed to overcome the sibling rivalry that had always existed between the brothers. They loved each other dearly, of course- but Wyatt's status and power had always been a sore point for the younger boy. As a child, Chris had watched Wyatt's wiccan powers grow while his own desire to follow in his mother's footsteps seemed to become more and more unrealistic. During the past year alone, for instance, Wyatt had gained astral projection, conjuring, and empathy while Chris had gained the power to heal. Even though Chris always tried to hide his feelings and brush off Wyatt's gains with a few sarcastic comments, both parents could see how much it hurt him.

Wyatt had what Chris had always wanted, and Chris' whitelighter side was becoming more and more dominant. Instead of embracing what he had, however, Chris had tried his best to ignore it and had instead chosen to live as much like a mortal as possible.

Now, however, the game had come to an abrupt end- and Leo wondered if he could have done more to prepare his son. He had tried to talk about some of these issues before, of course, but Chris always bailed before they could get very far. He had made it clear on several occasions that he had no desire to follow in Leo's footsteps, and Leo had found it easier to avoid the topic and hope for the best. But taking the easy way out, he realized, had probably been a mistake.

"You can do things that Wyatt can't." Leo stated, trying to keep his tone light.

The boy rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whitelighter things." He replied. "I'm not too sure how hovering or speaking a million languages is going to be useful in a fight."

"Well, maybe you're not meant to fight."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Leo cringed. Chris' expression had quickly darkened again, and it was apparent that this was not something he wanted to hear.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." He spat, glaring in his father's direction. "I suppose you think it would be great to have a sidekick to stand on the sidelines with you. We could meditate, and sense stuff, and rush in to heal the people who are actually powerful enough to make a difference." Chris paused, and quickly pulled himself onto his feet. "Sorry dad, but that sounds like a shitty deal to me. I'm not-"

The teen stepped in mid sentence, his face wincing in pain once again as the persistent noise rang through his ears. His hands quickly clutched the sides of his head as he let out a frustrated groan.

This time, Leo could not resist the urge to rush to his side, and he placed a gentle hand on his son's shoulder.

"Chris, please..."

"Please what?" Chris snapped, pulling away from his father as the noise began to fade. "Please go tell the elders that I'll be a good little lap dog? No way."

Leo sighed, trying not to let his own emotions take hold. "You're not going to be their lap dog." He began firmly. "You can still be yourself, and still do most of what you want. You'll just have a few charges to look after as well- and sure, that can cause a few disruptions- but so can wiccan duties. At the end of the day, we're all working towards the same goal and all fighting for what is good. Helping charges is just as important as saving innocents." He hesitated before deciding to continue. "And frankly, Chris, I don't know why you think this is such a terrible thing. Please, help me understand."

Silence hung in the air for several long moments. The teen took a step towards the wall, his eyes resolutely locked on the wooden floor. Leo knew that he was getting to him, and he could see the flash of guilt on his son's face.

Maybe, just maybe, he had a shot.

"It's just...I..." the boy began, his voice shaking with the pent up stress and emotion of the day. "I see what you and mom went through, and I think about the future...and, I guess...well, I never asked for this, and I always hoped that- if I couldn't have lots of powers like Wyatt- that I could at least be normal." He paused, still avoiding his father's gaze as he looked out the window. "And now I feel like everything I had planned, everything I wanted, is slipping away. I've lost control of everything, and I can't ignore the fact that I'm a freak."

As if to illustrate his point, Chris held out his left arm and allowed it dissolve into a flurry of orbs. He left it that way for several seconds, his eyes full of both sadness and anger as he watched the blue lights dance.

There was another long pause before he spoke.

"Have you noticed that Aunt Paige doesn't look as old as Mom and Aunt Phoebe?"

Leo was taken aback by Chris' seemingly random question, and it took him a moment to gather his thoughts.

"Well, she is younger." He stated, not quite sure why Chris had chosen to bring this up. Sure, Paige was clearly the youngest- and the sisters often joked about how she had aged well- but Leo had never really given it that much thought.

"No, it's more than that." Chris replied, finally meeting his father's eyes. "And I'm pretty sure that Aunt Paige is starting to realize that she isn't just lucky. She's forty four now, but people still believe her when she says she's thirty two." He paused, drawing a deep breath. "And that's because she looks about thirty two. She isn't aging because she isn't mortal...because she is part-whitelighter."

Leo froze, a look of realization spreading across his face. If he could, he would have kicked himself for being so stupid. Chris had made a good point- a very good point- and had noticed something that no one else had ever really considered. Something that made his son's fears a lot more understandable.

"Me, and Wyatt and Aunt Paige- we're in uncharted territory." Chris continued, placing his hand on the pile of old tomes that were on the foot of his bed. "I've been reading up on things lately. A lot. There aren't really any sure answers out there, because there has never been anyone else like us. But, from what I can tell, whitelighters can orb because they are made of light. And even though we all have human mothers, the fact that we can all orb suggests that our bodies aren't composed of normal matter either."

Leo nodded slowly, unable to hide his shock. Not only had his magic-hating son been secretly researching his least favourite topic, but he had also come to logical conclusions that no one else in the family had yet considered.

"I suppose that makes sense."

As he considered what his son was saying, his mind drifted to the time when Wyatt had accidently blown Chris up- his orbs had scattered and it had been a terrifying few moments before he finally reformed- without a single scratch. They had been so relieved that day that they hadn't really taken the time to consider the wider implications of what had happened. No human could have survived that...

"I've been thinking about this for awhile." Chris confessed, letting out a deep sigh. "But I also hoped that maybe this was only happening to Aunt Paige because the elders summoned her and gave her whitelighter duty. And, I suppose, that is possible..." He trailed off, clenching his jaw and drawing a few deep breaths. "And then today...when the noise started...I knew that even if that was true, it now applied to me as well. If the elders think that I am enough of a whitelighter to have charges, then chances are I'm enough of a whitelighter to have everything else that that entails. I'm not going to reach middle age. I'm not going to die. If I ever fall in love...well, you know how much of a mess _that_ can be. And you also know that even clipping your wings is usually a temporary thing- the call of the heavens is always too strong, isn't it? I feel it every second of every day, and I know you do too. We can't escape."

Leo stared ahead, surprised to hear his youngest son speak with a seriousness and resignation well beyond his years. It was hard to disagree with much of what he had said- yes, being a whiteligher did make a normal life next to impossible- Leo knew that first hand. He also knew that he was the only one lucky enough to have any semblance of a normal life, and that had only come about because he had fallen in love with a Charmed One. They had made an exception for Paige as well- but if the elders decided to enforce their rules on his son, then Chris would not have an easy road ahead.

And he was right about other things as well. Leo had taken a hiatus from his duties a few times- the longest being his four year stint as a mortal after Chris' birth. But he had always been drawn back...and the times when his powers had been stripped, he had felt incomplete. Even when he had been "normal," he had been painfully aware of his true calling every second of every day.

There really was no escape.

Just as there was no escaping the immortality that came with his role. Sure, he could glamour himself to look older with every passing year (his wife would have killed him if he hadn't). But the grey hairs and worry lines were only a facade. Underneath, he still looked as young as he did on the day he died- and he knew that he always would. This, perhaps, would be a blessing for some- but for anyone who wished to live a full and normal life, it was the greatest curse.

Before now, he had refused to entertain the possibility that he had passed this on to his sons. He had a sinking feeling, however, that Chris was right.

"Chris...I never thought..."

It was difficult to speak now, and Leo could not ignore the prickling feeling behind his eyes. He had come in determined to make his son see things his way but now it seemed as if the reverse had happened. He could see why Chris was afraid- and angry. And it pained him to know that this had been his fault. But, as his son doubled over in pain once more- fighting against the call that would seal his fate- Leo realized the situation still had not changed. He needed to take his own advice, and accept what was.

"I'm so sorry, Chris." He said softly, watching as the teen recovered from the last blast of noise. It seemed to be getting worse each time, and Leo knew that there was still only one solution.

"I wish that things didn't have to be this way," he continued sadly, "but the fact is, they are. The whitelighter in you is strong and, even though I know you don't want to hear it, I know that this is your destiny. You were meant to help people, and you can't fight that. I understand why you feel this way and I'll understand if you resent me- if I hadn't been an elder when you were born, then maybe you would have had more of a chance to be normal. Even though we don't know for sure, I expect that you might be right about a lot of things. But we can't change any of that, and we'll just have to cross those bridges when we come to them." He paused, taking another shaky breath. "I suppose it is little comfort- but please know that I'll be there for you. Always."

To his surprise, Chris gave him a sad smile before looking back down at the floor. "I know, Dad." He said with a soft sigh. "And I'm not mad at you."

Leo felt some of the weight lift from his chest- it was a relief to hear that, despite it all, his relationship with his son was not unsalvageable. Losing Chris- again- had always been his greatest fear and he wasn't sure if he could handle it.

"But I'm not ready for this." Chris continued, grabbing his leather jacket from the back of his chair. "I don't want this. I don't want any of it. Magic. Angels. Witches. Demons..." He shook his head with a determination that mirrored his mothers. "Today, I want to go to the graduation party- like everyone else. And next year, I want to go to college with my friends. I want to get a job, I want to get married and, one day, I want to have kids. Hell, I even want the white picket fence and the golden retriever. " He paused, looking up to meet his father's eyes. "What do you think the elders are going to say about all of that?"

"I don't know." Leo answered honestly, taken aback by his son's resolute tirade.

Chris smirked. "And I'm not willing to find out."

With that, the teenager threw on his coat and walked out of the room. Leo was tempted to follow- and could have easily cut him off by orbing- but he decided to let him go. He listened to his son's footsteps on the stairs, and the slamming as the front door as he left- on his way to a party, on foot, like any normal teen.

But, as the father knew all too well, his son was far from normal.

Perhaps he could make it through the night- ignoring the pain of the elders' calls and pretending to have a good time. Maybe he would even make it through the week. But, despite his son's fierce determination, he knew that it was only a matter of time. Chris could fight it all he wanted, but he would never be able to change who he was- and that meant that he would face challenges that most people couldn't even fathom.

Although Leo would never trade his sons or Piper for anything in the world, the grain of doubt- the voice that wondered some things had been forbidden for a reason- began to rear its ugly head. Perhaps they had been selfish. And it seemed unfair that their sons now had to pay the price. Chris was right- he hadn't asked for this life, and he was one of only three people in history that had been thrust into it against his will.

With a final sigh, Leo turned his gaze towards the ceiling. "This is never going to be easy, is it?" He murmured, doubting that anyone would bother to listen.

_Just one ordeal after the other... _

Thoughts? Please review! This has been kicking around in my head for ages. It could continue, but will probably be left as an inconclusive one-shot.


End file.
